But the two with the most at stake politically — U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Republican Gov. Rick Scott — stepped lightly, hoping to avoid any political minefields in their exceedingly close 2018 election contest.

“I look forward to meeting with Judge Kavanaugh to discuss his views on several issues such as protecting women's rights, guaranteeing access to health care for those with pre-existing conditions & protecting the right to vote, just to name a few. I’ll make my decision after that,” Nelson said in a statement.

Scott, who can’t run for re-election because of term limits and is running against Nelson, said on Twitter he approved of the nomination, but was muted in his statement. “I am glad President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and look forward to learning more about his record,” Scott wrote.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the other Floridian with a vote on the nomination, embraced the choice. “Brett Kavanaugh is a qualified, mainstream jurist who possesses the right temperament and experience for the position, and I’m pleased to see his nomination to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court,” he said in a written statement.

Like Nelson, Rubio claimed he hasn’t made up his mind about how he’ll vote. “My decision on whether to ultimately support Kavanaugh’s nomination will be based on his commitment to original intent, judicial restraint, and the understanding that the Supreme Court is a ‘trier of law’ appellate court and not a ‘trier of fact’ trial court,” he said.

Rubio has been a reliable vote for Trump nominees.

Other Florida officials, who don’t have a vote on the matter, were much sharper in their praise and criticism.

“The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is President Trump’s latest shameful effort to further roll back the progress we have made on voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, civil rights, clean air and water, gun control, healthcare, and so much more. We cannot take nominations to the Supreme Court lightly. We need a justice who will be truly independent and not bound by political promises and litmus tests,” U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings said in a statement.

Hastings is a Democrat who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Hastings and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee who also represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, sounded the alarm over possible threats to abortion rights.

Deutch said Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh is an attempt “to advance a radical ideological shift of the Supreme Court that will threaten settled fundamental rights.”

“There is no longer a theoretical threat to Roe v. Wade. With this nominee, President Trump fulfilled his campaign promise of nominating justices who are hostile to women’s reproductive rights. If confirmed, the conservative wing of the court — composed of five men — will be poised to strip women of the freedom to make their own health choices and control their own futures,” Deutch said. “If Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed, the Supreme Court could so severely weaken women’s right to privacy that even access to basic contraception would be at stake.”

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a Palm Beach County Democrat, said the nomination of Kavanaugh “will propel our nation’s highest court in a dangerous direction for generations.” She said in statement that Senate should reject him in favor of a nominee who “reflects mainstream values and respects the fundamental rights of all Americans.”

Adam Putnam, a former Republican congressman and current state agriculture commissioner who is also running for governor, offered similar praise on Twitter. “History in the making. Judge Brett Kavanaugh is an outstanding #SCOTUSpick by President @realDonaldTrump who will defend the Constitution as written.”

One glaring exception to the outpouring of Republican praise from Miami-Dade County’s members of Congress, who are more moderate than many of their colleagues. Neither U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring and has been a Trump critic, nor U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, issued statement or tweets about the nomination Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo retweeted a pro-Kavanaugh comment from U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.